Germany offers money to Afghans to forgo refugee scheme

Berlin is offering cash to Afghan refugees in Pakistan if they agree to give up their places on a programme for resettlement in Germany, activists said Tuesday.

The Afghans were accepted under a refugee scheme set up by the previous German government but around 2,000 have been stuck in Pakistan since conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May and froze the programme.

According to the initiative Airbridge Kabul, refugees have been sent a letter offering them money and other support in return for exiting the resettlement programme.

In the case of a single woman, the payments would be an initial 1,500 euros (about $1,700) in Pakistan and a further 5,000 euro payment if she travels to Afghanistan or a third country.

A spokeswoman for the interior ministry told AFP that "there are offers within the framework of a voluntary return programme to Afghanistan or departure to another third country".

The German scheme was aimed at Afghans who had worked with German forces in Afghanistan or who were deemed at particular risk from the Taliban, for example journalists, lawyers and human rights activists.

Eva Beyer from Airbridge Kabul said she was not aware of any refugees in the scheme who planned to accept the German government's latest offer and that many had reacted with shock and outrage.

"I've been trembling all over and can't stop crying," read one message from a refugee which Beyer shared with AFP. "I don't want money or bread, I just want to live in safety."

Pakistani authorities have in recent months intensified a crackdown on Afghans living in the country without residency.